Demetrious Johnson is the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world, but the long-reigning UFC flyweight champion is always setting new challenges.
Johnson, who has nine title defenses and trails directly behind Anderson Silva for the most title defenses in UFC history (10), says he is open to becoming a two-division world champion.
‘Mighty Mouse’ said he’ll challenge newly-crowned bantamweight champ Cody Garbrandt for the 135 lbs title, but under one condition: The biggest payday of his career.
“Yeah definitely, if the money’s right,” Johnson told NESN when asked about a potential bout with ‘No Love’. “It’s always about the money aspect of it, you know. I need to have an incentive to go up and do it, you know. When you look at the best athletes around the world – a good example is Usain Bolt – he runs the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash every single year at the Olympics, and he breaks his own record, but no one ever tells him, ‘Why don’t you run a 400? Why don’t you run a mile? I mean, you’re fast.’ Because he’s always focused on his craft, which is trying to beat his record, and that’s why I’m trying to do. I’m trying to beat my record. I’m trying to always improve myself, better myself and trying to beat Anderson Silva’s record.”
Garbrandt, 25, shocked the world when he battered Dominick Cruz last year at UFC 207. The Team Alpha Male product extended his win streak to 11 and is set to defend the BW title against former teammate T.J. Dillashaw in the second half of 2017.
Johnson challenged ‘The Dominator’ for the 135-pound belt in 2011 but lost a unanimous decision. The loss prompted a move to the flyweight division, where he has almost cleaned out the entire weight class.
An eventual move to bantamweight with the prospect of becoming a two-weight champ would cement Johnson as arguably the greatest fighter of all time.